Vagabondo a cavallo

I prefer forget this western as from the great film director of APACHE DRUMS and THE RAID, two awesome westerns for my taste. This one is an oater for me, and with Joel Mc Crea, I don't know why, I am not surprised. It is not a crap although, an agreeable flick destined to wide audiences, the whole family. So please, don't judge Hugo Fregonese with this one, APACHE DRUMS is one of the best westerns ever made in terms of atmosphere, nothing to do with this western. A western buff will appreciate SADDLE TRAMP anyway. It is not rough, violent, gritty as many western goers seek and there is also no real surprise.

Joel McCrea, who likes life free, easy, and independent in Saddle Tramp, on an impulse visit to friend John Ridgely finds himself taking responsibility for his four boys when Ridgely is killed in an accident.

That in a nutshell is the film Saddle Tramp. But it's far more than that, it's what is meant when a film is said to be family entertainment. It's one of Joel McCrea's better westerns in his post World War II period.

The change of lifestyle doesn't come without problems for McCrea. Now he has to get some real work in order to take Ridgely's small ranch out of debt and put food on the table for five. During the course of the film it's six as runaway Wanda Hendrix joins the merry band as she's looking to escape from Uncle Ed Begley.

McCrea also finds work for John McIntire and Jeanette Nolan and gets himself in the middle of a range war between McIntire and neighbor Antonio Moreno. Cattle is being stolen from both ranches and the two neighbors are blaming each other. The film gives you two possibilities as the brains behind the stealing.

Best supporting performance is that of McIntire as the irascible ranch owner who doesn't like children and won't hire anyone with them. That fact is the reason for all the machinations McCrea has to go through.

Saddle Tramp is a nice easy to take western and great for a Saturday morning viewing.

Fun for the whole family! One of my favorite Joel McCrae movies! Great western! Great family movie! I wish Hollywood made more family movies like Saddle Tramp today.

Enjoyed the four orphan boys and also the strong woman characterized by the rancher's wife. I also liked the message(s) of the movie. Simple but true.

1. We have to make something of ourselves.

2. The treacherous divides the good and gets them to fight against themselves while the bad rob them blind.

It was a wonderful story and of course it is from sixty plus years ago so its not going to work for everybody. You have to be in the right mood and not worry about corny and enjoy the ride.

The last two comments talk about creepiness and I need to balance that out. This movie was made when on screen kisses were forbidden. Compared to what passes for prime time family entertainment today of course this super innocent. The issue the comments are referring two is the age difference between the 19 year old "runaway" and the Main character being 15 or twenty years older. Well news flash kids you are living in very different times. What you call creepy was actually a completely common experience not only in the American west but throughout much of the world over for hundreds if not thousands of years.

The reason for the young woman's flight from home was referenced in an innocuous way so that young audiences would have little chance of clueing in to her reasons while the rest of us would know damn well while she left the real "creep".

Hey this is a great family movie and something for kids to see.

A vagabond cowboy suddenly finds himself taking care of four orphaned boys. The Technicolor cinematography is pleasing and the film is entertaining enough, but is letdown by the routine script that contains a fair amount of corn. McCrea displays his usual easy-going charm in the title role. Hendrix is a runaway teenager who also ends up with the orphaned boys. Although they are not shown getting intimate, it is somewhat creepy seeing McCrea getting romantically involved with Hendrix, who was half his age at the time of the film. The good supporting cast features McIntyre as a grumpy rancher and Nolan as his understanding wife.